June 21
After about 670 miles and 11 ½ hours we arrived at the Mammoth Cave Campground. We gained an hour as we passed into the Central Time Zone. Almost immediately we spied wild turkeys. Certainly not as bright as those painted by preschoolers, or as white as those that make up our Thanksgiving Day dinners, they are beautiful in their own right with their muted but shiny plumage. Deer seemed to be everywhere also.
There was no mention of our loop’s one-way road going opposite the usual direction, so our door faced the wrong side on our pull-through site. We didn’t care as we were only staying one night with minimal setup. The campsite was level enough that we thankfully didn’t even have to unhitch.
After a quick dinner we had a firefly catching competition. They were everywhere. Ethan always seemed to win. The boys also practiced whittling sticks with their new Bear Grylls survival knives. They received them as gifts as a reward for a great year in school and for use during the trip. Hopefully less for the survival part…
June 22
We got up early to take the cave tour we had reserved in advance. We don’t like to leave much to chance and prefer to have as many campsites and tours reserved as possible. It sure does reduce stress on the road. A quick stop at the visitor center and gift shop got us our national park stamp for our booklet and the requisite hiking stick medallion. William’s dad, Kenton, gave us a beautiful hickory wood hiking stick many years ago. It was carved by a member of Kenton’s Rotary Club in Highlands, NC. Over the past several years it has gone hiking with us everywhere. It is now almost completely covered with the medallions of all the places we have been.
The Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky is made up mostly of limestone deposited by the shallow inland sea around 350 million years ago. On top of the limestone is an impermeable sandstone caprock layer. Like most major caves, Mammoth Cave was formed when carbon dioxide combines with groundwater (carbonic acid) and very slowly eats away the limestone. However, Mammoth Cave lacks some of the more spectacular stalagmites, stalagtites, boxwork, and frostwork we have seen in other caves. The sandstone surface layer prevents rain water from seeping down through cracks which would slowly build up the amazing formations inside the caves. The water can enter only at a few sinkholes, forming underground streams which merge into the Green River which eventually flows to the outside.
As of February, 2013 there were 400 miles of surveyed passageways making it the world’s longest know cave. Geologists think there might be 600 miles yet undiscovered.
Various animals live within the caves including crickets, completely white eyeless fish and cave crayfish, and, of course, bats. Archeological evidence shows native peoples explored and used the caves over 4000 years ago.
The 8:45 am Domes and Dripstones Tour through Mammoth Cave lasted about 2 hours and brought us about 250 feet underground. It was certainly impressive. Although the tour guide was informative and nice, we wished he had gone into more detail. As we walked out through the narrow exit area we spied 2 huge, black spiders on the walls at head-height. They were about 3 inches in size with fat abdomens the size of quarters. Everyone’s eyeglasses fogged up as we left the coolness of the cave and emerged into the humid heat of Kentucky.
The Davids' Cross-Country Trip 